Monday, January 23, 2012

As Monday Rolls Around...Again

For each new morning with its light

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food, for love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson--

I love the above prayer of Thanksgiving. I have found that whenever I am feeling sorry for myself, repeating the above has always been a source of support. There are so many things in life to be thankful for, and often enough we focus so much on the negative we forget about all the wonderful things in our lives. I woke up this morning, and before I even had a sip of coffee, I began to make myself feel miserable because I 'didn't want to go to work.' A wave of the 'poor me's' came over me.

I often find myself so focused on my dream of retirement that I forget that many out there can't find a job. People are losing their homes, their families, everything they have. Homeless shelters are full, and housing programs have lost their funding. Where does it all end? I often think that take away my paycheck and 'there go I'. It is a frightening feeling to know that you are only one paycheck away from losing everything you have.

I am blessed with my new home and the love I receive from friends and family. There was a time in my life I had neither. There were times that I laid across the bed and forced myself to sleep the day away because I had nothing to eat. Now I try never to forget where I once was and where I am now. I may feel sorry for myself at times but life truly is good.

Too many of us take life for granted. I love when, in my groups at work we go around for check-in and client's say, "I am grateful that I woke up this morning." Being alive and in good health is a gift that I am thankful for. When I wake up every morning and still have the breath of life inside of me, I am thankful for my life.

About Me

The past March I turned 70, official a crone. I was born in the beautiful countryside, but have been living in the city for 30 odd years now. As a want-to-be be hippie, I first lived in Greenwich Village, then moved to Queens, and eventually here I am in Brooklyn, yearning to go home. I've spent much of my life in search of a path that I could feel comfortable with. It wasn't until I began working on my family tree that I discovered my Celtic background as well as ancestors from Ireland, Scotland, Britain, Germany, and France. Why I've a touch of Dutch and Native American in my blood. I have studied with the New Order of Druids.
I am also an ordained Interfaith minister and a victim advocate. I'm also an astrologer, have worked with numerology, enjoy mythology, psychology, sociology. On July 12th 2013 I retired from my job as a substance abuse counselor after 51 years of work. Now it is time for me, and I am enjoying every moment of it.